Here’s Why The Knicks Shouldn’t Get Their Hopes Up On Landing Kyrie Next Summer

For weeks now, we’ve heard rumblings of the Knicks (and even the Nets) being a prime destination for next off-season’s free-agent stars, which include Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and more. Obviously, there’s a lot of optimism in The Big Apple right now.

While there’s reason to be excited, NBA insider Marc Stein is warning Knicks fans to be cautious as the rumors continue to bounce:

“Knicks fans dreaming of a Durant signing next summer are hereby forewarned: It’s not inconceivable that he may actually choose to make Madison Square Garden home someday, but it’s extremely difficult to imagine the Silicon Valley-loving Durant doing so without playing at least one season in the Warriors’ new Chase Center palace in San Francisco, which doesn’t open until the 2019-20 campaign … Kyrie Irving’s intentions are not at all clear at this point. There have been no firm indications from Irving or his camp that the All-Star guard is eyeing an exit from Boston next summer or that he’s angling to go to New York — as is often speculated.”

There you have it.

Nobody is a “lock” to come to New York next season. In fact, the two biggest fishes in the pond are probably unlikely to leave the great situations they’re in now.

With Porzingis, Knox, and Ntilikina making up a sweet young core for the Knickerbockers, they could certainly do a whole lot worse. We’ll just have to wait and see whether those young guys will be joined by a bonafide superstar, or if it’ll be up to them to become one.